Air Force: Lasers pointed at planes over North Carolina

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Officials with the U.S. Air Force say lasers have been aimed at military planes in separate incidents in North Carolina.

The Charlotte Observer reports officials at Pope Army Airfield say the lasers were aimed at the aircraft near the field. According to a news release, the incidents occurred several weeks apart and came from two different locations.

Pope flight safety manager Rich Galley says lasers can distract or cause serious injury to pilots who already have several things to monitor while airborne.

According to the Air Force, the Federal Aviation Administration recorded more than 5,500 cases of lasers aimed at aircraft in the U.S. last year.

Pointing a laser at an aircraft is a federal crime punishable by up to five years in prison.

In March, the Air Force reported that someone pointed a laser at an Air Force C-17 as it approached Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, home to the North Carolina Air National Guard’s 145th Airlift Wing.

In Other News

VA expands benefits options for vets with other-than-honorable status

Veterans Affairs officials are updating rules regarding benefits eligibility to include more individuals with other-than-honorable discharges.

Senators unsure about House plan to boost troop pay, housing stipends

House lawmakers are moving ahead with plans to increase junior enlisted pay and military housing stipends, but the idea could face opposition in the Senate

No paper, no plastic: Be ready as commissaries adopt reusable bags

Reusable bags can be more expensive for commissary shoppers up front, but more cost-effective in the long run.

Pentagon disputes report of firefight following Abbey Gate bombing

A new report on the 2021 airport bombing in Afghanistan which killed 13 U.S. troops suggests the assault may have involved more than one attacker.

The man who made Belleau Wood — and the Marine Corps — immortal

Floyd Gibbons made history when his dispatch got past the wartime censor.

Load More